Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1887-04-05
Gales aud Skftfhes.
A SENTIMENTAL SOLICITOR.

John Anthony McArdle was solicitor.
That was bad enough of itself. Rut the
malign fate that had evolved him from
chaos into the incorporated Law Society
had done him even a more grevi0us wrong.
He looked solicitor. Responsibility was
indelibly stamped upon him. Law low
cred from his heavy brows. and equity
was exemplided in the even parting OF his
hair. His lips were demurrers in them.
selves, and there were pleadngs in his
very ewes. His figure was short and close
and compact, like a we'll drawn affidavit,
and his gate was as even and precise as
the measured periods of senior counsel.
He was a concrete commonplace in ap-
pearance; mere statement of facts. with
no iaintest g,eam of romance shining
about him. The most imaginative of por-
trait painters could have conceived no
other background to him than an array
of iapanned deed boxes. 1t had even
been said by an irreverent friend that he
never seemed full dressed save when car
rying black bag.
The sting of all this lay in the fact that
John Anthony was in reality a poet.
Nature had given him the soul of a
songster-Fate inclosed him in the skin of
a solicitor 1t was his delight to sit down
at his desk after day of weary attend
ance in court, and with many clean sheets
OF "ruled pro-" before him, to relieve
himself of the accumulated poesy within,
in verses full OF wild yearning and pas
sionate sorrow.
The chief of his grievances was the
difficulty he had in getting people to take
him seriously. There is no reason why
a solicitor should not be poet. Robert
Burns had been Il plowman-kirk White
Il butcher, at least Il butchers boy. Was
there any reason why invention, hampered
bv the law as to bills ot costs, should not
find a vent in the direction OF poetry?
Apparently not but thesworld was skep-
neal and would persist in valuing h.m for
his legal knowledge and ignoring his
We, SEES. Young ladie. would sympathize
with him, regarding him in innocent wide
eyed wonder as something superhuman in
the union of diver.e gifts. They would
crave help in the filling Of their albums
from him-a request generally refused.
for he dsdained such lriviaities-and
show him, perhaps over plainly, that they
were ready TO believe in him Even this
was not satisfactory, though undeniably
soothing. lie could see the worth of
such stimulated appreciation. The lady
of his love was not to be one of these So
c;ctv misses. talking smooth common
places, occupying all her little soul in the
devsng of fashionable dresses, in the
pursuit of dancing and flirtation-a dain-
lily clad. pretlly spoken. soulless doll.
She would be very different. But as yet
she came not. and he had reached his
twenty eighth year in proftless waiting.
1t was about eleven O'Clock of 4 WIN
ter's night. and ne sat in his room. his
solicitor exterior somewhat disguised un-
der evening garb. A friend, whose avo.
cation was banking, and whose name
Bill Rafter-was unpretentious, faced
him. Both were smoking-the poet a
cigarette. Bill dirty meerschaum.
81 am in love, Bill" he said.
Again p' said Bill. mildly.
"Oh, bother. have never loved vet"
"Um !" said Bill. There was Phillis,
and"
+ 81 know all that have had fancies
Only fancies. Look how easily got over
them"
you did," Bill admitted. always
That shows. when a man loves
loves-he doesn't get over it. A man
NAV imagine he cares for a woman. may
endow her with attributes she hasn't got
and for short time rave in a fancied
delirium about her. He may even"
Marry her. You went near it once
"Well-yes. But marriage has nothing
to do with it Marriage is a detail"
$50 are kids. Unnecessary details"
"Of course. But what | mean is this
| have the capacity of love within me. OF
a mad, unmeasured. blind passion. No,
having experienced it yet, don't know
exactly how it will begin. | don't sup.
pose it will strike me all at once like an
electric shock. It's only in novels they
do things like that. You must expert
ment Tor lit,le while. must test yourself
observe your feelings when you are will
her. You must"
"IIug her bit and see how you like it
That's your notion of experiment, ism
it ?"
THAT'S gross. You're making fun o.
this thing. know yon say you don
believe it much. Not in the sort of over
mastering passion, | mean"
mo" Bill said.
well, then you don't know anything
about it. know what mean, and wha
wonderful thing this great passion il
when it does come. But the difficulty i.
to know when you have got it. really
when You have-yon know-a-taken i
properly. Ike vaccination. When YOU arr
sure it is really the right thing. and tina
there's no fear Of your going On an,
getting married under false pretenses
then you are all right"
"Oh. then you're all rightp"